NOTE: Check ClinicalTrials.gov as well as the National Cancer Institute Clinical Trials Search for the most current listing of trials. The listings on these websites almost completely overlap. On the NCI website, highlight "Metastatic cancer" and "Brain metastases" in the search box to do a search. On ClinicalTrials.gov it is possible to search under "brain metastases AND breast cancer" which avoids having to sort through many irrelevant trials.

Drug company trials not listed on the two websites above can sometimes be found through PhRMA, the industry website, which lists new agents under development in their new medicines database.

The purpose of this trial is to develop a way to measure the effects of whole-brain radiotherapy on cognition (thinking), memory, and daily functioning. Patients diagnosed with one or more brain metastases will be tested for one year immediately before treatment, and then every few months after so that short and long term effects on the brain can be measured. Tests will include MRIs of the brain, blood and urine tests, as well as evaluations of memory, thinking, and daily functioning. Patients with leptomeningeal disease are not included in the trial. Participants in this trial can be treated and tested at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, or by their own oncologist, although all testing will be done at the NIH. Travel expenses will be covered. For more information, please click on the link or contact: Sharon Smith R.N. 310-451-8905 or smiths@mail.nih.gov or Kevin Camphausen M.D. 301-496-5457 or camphausenk@mail.nih.gov.